British startup Newlane has launched a foldable bike helmet that has taken six years to develop.
It is designed to address a common issue faced by commuters and casual riders – the inconvenience of carrying a bulky helmet when not in use.
A flip-clip mechanism compacts the helmet to half its size so that it easily fits into any bag.
Despite its compact design, Newlane says the helmet meets all safety standards, providing the same level of protection as traditional helmets.
The helmet has already been generating a lot of interest on social media with one Instagram Reel racking up over one million views.
Zag spoke with Newlane Co-Founder Dom Cotton on why the product has been six years in the making.
“Making an innovative physical product is hard enough, but making a revolutionary safety product is almost impossible,” he says.
“The EU safety standards we’ve surpassed are rightly very stringent. To certify against these you’ve got to submit a helmet that has come off a set of steel production tools (we have 11 in total). These cost us more than £100k to build. Any slight amendment to our design has meant modifying the tools which has cost us time and more money. Also neither Josh, my co-founder, or I had a background in product development. We’ve had to rely on an unshakeable belief in the idea and the support of some phenomenal designers and engineers. We’ve had to continually fundraise along the way and thankfully have had backing from some incredible investors who, like us, believe in the growth of micromobility. We’ve been on a real rollercoaster but it’ll be worth it when we see The Newlane Helmet on people’s heads and in their bags!”
The startup has raised around £1.5 million from venture capitalists including the British Design Fund, as well as a group of angels like Steve Parish, co-owner and chairman of Crystal Palace Football Club, who have a specific interest in the rise of two-wheeled transport.
Manufactured in the UK at a factory in Birmingham, Newlane will produce 1,000 units a month, rising to 2,000 as the assembly line is optimised.
Dom said that one of their first partnerships is with London-based micromobility operator Forest which will offer the helmet to its riders.
“All rideshare businesses talk about promoting safety and recommend customers wear a helmet. However, evidence suggests whatever they’re doing isn’t working – I mean how many hire bike riders do you see protecting their heads! Forest are keen to make their commitment real and give users a convenient choice when it comes to protecting themselves, hence our partnership. This will be done through cross-promotion, giveaways and competitions driven through social media and via the Forest app.”
Other businesses Newlane is working with at launch are Brompton Bike Hire, Buzzbike, Smartech at Selfridges London and the luxury bag brand Troubadour.
The helmet will retail for £89.99 and the company is taking pre-orders at a discounted rate in September before an online launch in October.
